Angle of Repose
by TinyLaments
Summary: There are limits to that delicate balance. When all cascades downhill, is it really a bad thing? -UNDERGOING REVISION-
1. Chapter 1

**_Author's Note: _Random. I don't have a definite plot in mind. I suddenly felt inspired by that blueschist sample. Garnet and glaucophane are just beautiful. Sorry, getting a bit off-piste. Anyway, I'll just be winging it. Pairings, you already know them.**

**Gakuen Alice ain't mine. :)**

* * *

I

By the time he entered the gates of the academy, the sky was an ominous blood red. He collapsed to his knees, willing his breathing to even out. Exhaustion does not even begin to describe what he was experiencing. He pushed his head harder against the ancient willow, feeling its bark tickle his scalp. _Just my luck. Of all people I can come across at this hour...why does it have to be you?_

"You do realize your chances are good, don't you?" she spoke in her usual monotone. This didn't come out as a question.

Narrowing his ruby eyes, he shot a sidelong glance at the woman who was leaning against the same tree as he was. "Like I said, I don't know what you're talking about," he replied with unconcealed irritation. It was an unwelcome conversation, and only served to worsen the pounding in his head.

She uncrossed her legs, shut the book she was reading, and sighed. "No, oblivious is an understatement. That idiot will always be an idiot."

"_The_ Hotaru Imai acquanting herself with emotions?" A sardonic grin tugged at the corners of his lips. "Since when had you taken an interest in my personal affairs? As far as I'm concerned, there is nothing profitable about this venture."

She rolled her eyes at his statement. True enough, she had nothing to gain from prying into the intimate details of the life of Natsume Hyuuga. Nothing monetary, at least. "Since you started meddling with hers."

"Tch." Before he knew it, he was hunched over her, boring right into her eyes. Those cold, colorful, unyielding orbs. "IT IS NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS," he snapped.

"I dislike repeating myself," she said in a clipped tone. Despite the arms firmly planted at her sides, she steadily held his gaze. Where his was a scorching inferno, hers was so bone-chilling the polar caps would be put to shame. "The only one allowed to make that idiot cry is me."

-x-

"Ruka-pyon~"

He felt the blood rushing to his cheeks as he greeted the cheerful brunette. "Sa-Sakura, hello."

"It's Mikan, silly." She walked up to him with a sugary sweet smile plastered on her face. "Have you seen Hotaru? We're supposed to eat dinner together, but she suddenly disappeared. I hope she's not ditching me." Her lips formed an adorable pout.

If it were physiologically possible, Ruka would have melted at that very instant. Seeing her smiling face was more than enough to get his heart bouncing around his ribcage like a beast breaking out of its restraints. Grinning foolishly, he ran his fingers through his golden hair. _She's sooo cute_, he squirmed internally, biting back his urge to pinch her puffy cheeks. _They must be really soft—the hell am I thinking? _"A-ah no, sorry. I can't seem to find Natsume either. We…l-let's— both of us…look fo-for Imai?"

She nodded happily and took his hand. Unbeknownst to her, the gesture made Ruka inhale sharply. "Let's go, Ruka-pyon!"

_Disaster, Ruka-sama! There's been an explosion in the Northern Forest. We think it's your friend._

_Natsume? What happened?_ In a matter of seconds, a thousand horrifying scenarios played in his head, all of which featuring a cold, dead Natsume Hyuuga. He halted, causing Mikan to slow her pace and reel backwards.

"Ruka-pyon?"

Noticing the mixture of curiosity and worry on her face, he released her hand and lowered his head. "Gomen, Mikan. There's been— I have to...an emergency."

Her anxious expression was immediately replaced with that of understanding. "Mind if I come with?"

-x-

"That crazy bitch," he muttered under his breath as he sought refuge behind an oak tree. He had not expected her to push him this far, to outlast him in a fight. He clamped a hand over his mouth as his grumbles turned into a coughing fit. "Fuck." She had found him.

She swung down from the tree branch, somersaulting midair before landing perfectly on her toes. _Perhaps years of spying and blackmailing has afforded me something besides money_, she mused. _Tsk. That was rash of me._ Her left hand had taken quite a hit when the firecaster reduced her BAKA Gun to smithereens. She fished out a metal cube about the size of a marble. A firearm more fearsome than her trusty handgun materialized from the innocent-looking object.

"Invention #612. Fireproof Watergun. A fire extinguisher styled to look like and function as a machine gun. Apart from the primary barrel which is intended for the release of the fire retardant foam, there is a second one capable of discharging a high velocity water pulse that can cut through rock and metal. The armament is worth 200000 rabbits. Additional components cost extra," she says to the unseen audience.

Watching her from his hiding place, Natsume could only facepalm. _There she goes again with those advertisements. Even at a time like this, honestly...what's wrong with her?_

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

He barely dodged the merciless barrage of bullets. "Screw this," he groaned in frustration at how the tiny flame flickered and died on the metal surface of her weapon.

"Oh, did I say fireproof?" she said nonchalantly whilst nimbly albeit gracefully dodging the fireballs he was hurling at her. She stopped behind the shrubbery to assess the damage. Looking at the singed hems of her clothing, she frowned. While they were in their last few months of elementary school, and they soon will be issued new uniforms, it displeased her to see her belongings burnt.

_Thud._ Something hard suddenly collided with her petite frame, knocking the wind out of her. Arms entangled, she and her attacker began tumbling down the gentle slope of a hill.

"Get off me, Hyuuga," she protested emotionlessly throughout their descent.

"Stop...spraying...me...IMAI!" he gritted his teeth as he received powerful blasts of water. Both were getting soaked and covered in dirt; neither seemed to care.  
Her gun was pointed at his chest. His fingers were curled about her delicate neck. The two raven-haired students eyed each other with intensity, oblivious to the onlookers.

"Hotaru! Natsume!" yelled a panicking Mikan.

"Oi, Nat, let Imai go," said Ruka in an almost chiding manner. "You're going to kill her."

Natsume's eyes drifted to her lower half. "I knew you weren't one for prints, but the lace is an unexpectedly pleasant surprise," he mumbled, looking for all the world as though he had not just peeked underneath the girl's skirt.

A typical girl her age would have screamed hysterically, flailed around, or cried when put in that awkward situation. But Hotaru Imai never fit the definition of 'typical.' She glared at him indifferently. "If you're done criticizing my choice of underwear, remove yourself from my presence."

"Hn."

"Get off, or get shot."

"Make me."

BAKA! BAKA! BAKA!

Hotaru blew the smoke off her famous invention, before coldly saying, "I'm fine, baka." Her fingers deftly glided over her head, slicking back her dampened locks. Discreetly, she shifted her gaze to Ruka, whose full attention was turned to Mikan. The blonde was smiling affectionately, his cerulean eyes glittering with admiration. For reasons she couldn't comprehend, a twinge of pain stabbed at her chest. _I must be REALLY exhausted, _she told herself, dismissing the sensation as a figment of her imagination.

Natsume landed with his back flat on the ground. His best friend immediately rushed to his side. The firecaster muttered his thanks.

"Natsume, you pervert!" the brunette huffed in indignation. "What were you doing to my Hotaru?" Her brows converged, her hands positioned on her waist, and her lips were pressed into a thin line. Natsume found her angry version adorable, but he would never admit that.

"I belong to no one." The Ice Queen started walking away, wiping her machine gun dry with a piece of cloth. "The fireproofing requires some improvement," she murmured. "You were an excellent test subject, Hyuuga. I look forward to doing business with you again."

"Hn."

Mikan jogged to catch up with the amethyst-eyed inventor. "Hotaru! Wait up! Where are you going?" Half-expecting to be blown away by her best friend's BAKA Gun, the nullifier raised her arms to shield herself.

Instead, Hotaru spun on her heels and shot her an icy stare. "As compensation for your boyfriend's transgressions, you're buying me dinner tonight."

"Eh? But Hota—WHAT BOYFRIEND? YOUCANTPOSSIBLYBETALKINGABOUTTHIS—" she pointed an accusatory finger at the raven-haired boy, "HOWCANYOUEVENSAYTHAT—AND ITHOUGHTWEWERE FRIENDS. LIKEI'DEVERGOOUTWITHNATSUMEHYUUGA!"

Ruka scoffed at his crush's outburst. "Why don't we all eat together? Central Town, my treat," he suggested. He glanced at his ruby-eyed friend, who simply shrugged noncommittally.

"Very well, then. Prepare to have your wallet emptied, Bunny Boy."

* * *

**Do R&amp;R. Yay or nay? Was it horrible? Too OoC?**

**To those following _Never Without A Thorn, _I'm really sorry for not updating. I've been faced with a serious case of writer's block. Also, the past few weeks have been hell for me. Fieldwork, exam, fieldwork, exam, petrographic reports, exam. This week isn't going to be any better, I can feel it. I am currently subsisting on caffeine and nicotine. I'm definitely going to continue it...I'm just not sure when. I don't want to be jumping from from one fandom to another and leave things unfinished.**


	2. Chapter 2

II

Newton's Third Law. For every action there is an equal and opposite re-action.

As a consequence of the events that transpired on that fateful afternoon, he was stuck under the sweltering heat, with none other than the Ice Queen to keep him company. _Damn that Narumi._ Natsume was very much tempted to strip down to his boxers. Mopping his brow, he quickly glanced at his companion.

Hotaru was silently clearing her assigned portion of the pool, hardly exuding any perspiration. Half an hour has passed since they were given their punishment and not a word was exchanged between the two. Prohibited from using their Alices, they are left with no choice but to resort to manual labor.

_Ruka has Mikan to himself now, _a voice nagged at the back of his head. It was petty, he knew, but he couldn't help it. Why was he so affected? Just when did she begin to matter? After years of denial, he finally admitted it to himself: he was jealous. Utterly and completely jealous.

"You missed a spot."

He sighed and carried the cleaning material behind him. The bristles of the brush made a scratching sound as they stripped the ceramics of their grime. It, however, did nothing to drown the drone of the noisy passersby. "Ohmygosh, it's Natsume-sama...!" "Pool cleaning never looked so sexy. He's soooooo dreamy." "D'you think he has a girlfriend? Ooh I hope not." "What's he doing with the Ice Queen? S-scary...poor Hyuuga."

The hallways welcomed the two with even more pointless chatter as they made their way to the cafeteria.

Lunch consisted of a hearty serving of grilled sirloin steak, tomato soup, and strawberry shortcake. At least, that was the case for the elite 1% of the elementary student body, the Specials and the Triples. He placed a tiny portion of sirloin into his mouth. Instead of bombarding his tastebuds with the smoky succulence of barbecue, the chunk of meat fell bland on his tongue. Meals prepared by the chefs of Alice Academy were hardly ever short of being world-class, so why? _What the hell is wrong with me today? Am I so jealous that I'm unable to eat?_

Across the table, it wasn't evident in her expression (or rather the lack thereof) that Hotaru was enjoying her meal. Although frankly, she would trade the red meat for some crab roe any day. She checked her watch. 12:54. She stealthily stretched her arm towards his saucer, and with the use of her fork, stabbed the strawberry topping of his dessert.

"Oi—Imai, the hell—" Natsume instantly snapped out of his trance as she dangled the fruit in front of him before plopping it into her mouth. Without realizing it, the scene exhumed a distant memory he had locked in the deepest recesses of his mind ages ago.

_A girl with coal black hair and flaming eyes. She smiled ever so sweetly, despite him giving her the cold shoulder. "Nii-san hates strawberries so I'm eating them for him."_

_"Hn."_

_Behind it all, she knew. And she loved him, too._

If not for his nightmarish experiences over the years, reminiscence would leave his body racked with sobs. The hurt remained, unchanged and as burdensome as ever; it just didn't show. For that much, he was thankful. He set aside his eating utensils. "You're just as gluttonous as Polka Dots says."

"Hm." Two swift scoops, and she'd completely devoured the frosted pastry, not that Natsume minded.

-x-

"Are you sure you passed math last semester?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Mikan was absentmindedly tapping the pencil against her forehead. Mathematics was never her forte. Numbers had always been a struggle for her, ever since kindergarten. "You meanie!" she suddenly blurted out, finally understanding the insult she had just received from him.

"Even a chimp can answer this, twenty seconds tops."

"Mou...!" She threw her arms up in resignation, snapping her pencil in half in the process. "I don't get this at all. I take out the 4x, so I'm left with (4x-9)? Then what?"

"Minus seven," he corrected flatly.

"What?"

"It's seven, not nine."

She glowered at him suspiciously while sharpening the end of the broken pencil. "You're tricking me, aren't you? Trying to get my scores lower than they alre-"

"Why would I bother. You've pretty much covered that on your own," he said with a devilish smirk. "Do you really intend to graduate from grade school without even memorizing the multiplication table, Polka Dots?"

"Hmph!" _Why am I never paired up with Hotaru? Why is it always this...jerk? _It was all she could do to keep herself from banging her head against the desk. In as much as she hated him for his brashness and lack of sensitivity, he was right. She needs to improve if she wants to move forward. _I won't be left behind, _she decided. _No, not again. I won't let Hotaru leave without me. _With a newfound determination, she retrieved the broken writing instrument and faced the dreaded algebra problems once more.

Hotaru was watching her best friend the entire time, with a small, almost imperceptible smile playing on her usually expressionless lips. It goes without saying that she secretly supported the pair. She had been assisting them from behind the scenes, often creating situations to isolate the two, and detaining any occasional rivals, particularly Natsume's best friend.

Ruka Nogi. Not nearly as brilliant as Natsume or Hotaru but not as dimwitted as Mikan, the animal lover, like many students his age, still struggled with numbers. His usually neatly combed golden locks have fallen over his face, his brows furrowed from deep concentration. There was something about the way his mouth twisted that could only be characterized as _un-Ruka_. A frown? A scowl?

_That irked expression of his is rather appealing, _Hotaru found herself thinking. _It may sell quite well. No, this I shall keep to myself. What...no. Erase. Why am I even having these disgusting thoughts..._

_"_I-Imai.."

Briefly glancing at his paper, she encircled all the incorrectly-answered items, which numbered to three. She returned to tinkering with her invention.

"Is this even factorable?" he unknowingly spoke out loud. He scratched his head, eyes still glued the quadratic equation, as if doing so will make the answer reveal itself.

"Need help, Nogi?"

"Uh, yea-" He was able to stop himself from continuing the sentence. "There's a catch, isn't there?"

"Who do you think you're talking to?"

"I knew it." Alice Academy's Blackmailing Queen was never one for dedication without any kind of reward. She doesn't engage in activities that offered no profit.

"You're hopeless," she said softly as she began erasing his poorly-written solutions.

"NO," he replied stubbornly. "I told you, I didn't need help."

She didn't say anything and simply continued writing. Her hand suddenly stopped moving as it was covered by his. Her emotionless visage, her cold, calloused facade, each and every inhibition went down the drain, but only for a split second. _Curse this female heart of mine._ Ignoring the thumping in her chest, she tore her hand from his and deadpanned, "I can no longer stand being in close proximity with such idiocy."

"Ugh, no. This is going to cost me," he groaned. "Don't just write down the answers. At least teach me how to solve the problems." He grabbed her hand again, causing her to lose her grip on the pencil. How can an insignificant action have such an effect on her?

"I only give tutorials on weekends."

"Why are you always giving me a hard time?"

"Oh, am I?"

"Imai, please. Come on, we're almost out of time. Jinno-sensei's gonna be collecting our papers in a few minutes."

"What's one plus one?"

"Huh?" A quarter-second delay. "Two, duh."

"There you have it."

"What—gah! It may come easily to geniuses like you," he leaned closer towards her, "but _normal _people like me require a step by step explanation."

"Fine. Listen carefully..."

Mathematics class finally ended. Neither seemed to notice that their fingers were still entwined.

* * *

**Starting to feel paranoid about OoC's again. How was it? R&amp;R, please. :)**


	3. Chapter 3

Undergoing Revision. ごめんなさい.


	4. Chapter 4

Undergoing Revision. ごめんなさい.


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